If you landed here, it’s a safe bet that your teen is struggling and you’re looking for help.
This speaks to how much you love your child and would do just about anything to ensure that they’re happy, healthy, and safe.
Maybe they were the happy-go-lucky kid growing up—always full of life and energy—but now they’re down and out more than they’re not. This “phase” doesn’t feel like a normal teenage slump—it feels like something else.
Does your teen seem disconnected or withdrawn?
Or maybe they’re less confident, and more scared and anxious.
Maybe you’re worried about what they do when they are alone or with friends.
You know something is “off” with your teen, but you aren’t sure what.
Maybe you’ve seen a drop in their grades or other problems are starting to surface.
They seem apathetic, unmotivated, and generally just not themselves.
Things have changed with your teen and you’re starting to worry.
You used to be close, but lately there’s been a lot of distance. You try to get them to open up, but they shut down or get angry. You’re not sure how to talk to them anymore—every conversation feels like a strikeout.
You know some of this independence is normal, but your “gut” is telling you that something is out-of-balance. You’ve seen a big change in your teen and can tell they’re really going through it. But again, they won’t talk about it, and you’re at a loss as to how to help.
Maybe this isn’t the first time you’ve thought about getting therapy for your teen.
How the teenage brain can get in the way.
Probably everything you’ve heard about the teenage brain is somewhere close to true. While it can be an exciting time in your teen’s life—a formative time to figure out who they are—it can also be quite challenging. Most often, they are operating from their emotions, which they feel intensely—a reality that can sometimes make things difficult to say the least.
Why does this happen? The part of your teen’s brain that helps them think things through—called the prefrontal cortex—is still developing, and so they are primarily reacting from the emotional part—the amygdala.
The bad news is, according to research, this rational part of their brains won’t be fully realized until they reach the age of 25 years or so, as everyone develops at different rates.
The good news is, however, that through some intentional guidance, they can learn to interact with their emotions in healthier and more productive ways.
Teens today face more challenges than ever.
Most would agree that teens today face an untold amount of pressure. While some pressure is good, today’s teens feel it from almost every angle—there’s pressure to fit in, get good grades, navigate friendships and relationships, find purpose, save the world, get into the “right” school, and so on.
All of this, of course, is amplified by the dominating presence of social media, bombarding them with lots of competing messages—some good and some that you hope won’t stick.
You want them to listen to the “right” messages—the ones that move them in healthy directions—and to have the tools to unhook when they’ve gotten snagged by the bad ones.
This is where effective teen counseling, from a licensed teen therapist can really help.
Professional Teen Counseling
Our therapists have several years of experience working with teens and families—of all different kinds—to help them get reconnected.
We focus on helping your teen find balance, develop a strong sense of self, clarify and live by their values, and create space so that they can make decisions that move them toward health and wholeness, and away from unhealthy behaviors.
We do this by meeting your teen wherever they’re at—we not only want to help them develop insight but give them practical, usable tools and strategies that work in their everyday lives.
The long-term benefits of teen counseling.
Giving your teen the chance to build their emotional intelligence now—to really learn how to tune in and evaluate what their emotions are trying to tell them and how their actions affect others—is an investment into their future.
A recent study, published by the Society for Research in Child Development, found that early interventions aimed at developing emotional intelligence had positive lasting effects which persisted across the lifetime (SRCD, 2017).
Further, according to researchers at Yale University, people who have high degrees of emotional intelligence fair better in life—they have healthier relationships, more successful and rewarding careers, and are generally happier and more content (Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2011).
We understand that when your child is struggling, you’re struggling—and we know it can be really tough and scary
How teen counseling can help.
We’ll help them get reconnected by focusing on four main areas:
- A strong therapeutic relationship where your teen feels safe to be themselves.
- Mindfulness skills to help them get more connected and deal with stress more effectively.
- Emotion regulation tools to help them handle difficult emotions, which can get in the way of good decision-making.
- Communication skills to help them express their needs and to be able to set healthy boundaries when they need to.
Teen counseling is effective at helping adolescents deal with lots of struggles, including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, identity issues, low self-esteem, and much, much more.
Many parents tell us that they want to help their teen, but just don’t know how. If your teen is struggling and you’re feeling stuck, let us help. We’ve helped many families and teens just like yours get reconnected.
If any of this sounds like your teen, counseling can help them get reconnected again. Reach out today to get started.